where we are.... for now.

Throughout the course of the last few months, there have been many people saying that they are praying for us. For that, we could never completely express our gratitude and appreciation. We must also keep in mind the very true reality that only the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). Then one must ask, “Who is righteous?”

A righteous person is one who has been made blameless in the sight of God. Scripture reveals to us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and the wages of sin is death, everlasting death (Romans 6:23). Therefore, no one is good enough to attain righteousness of their own merit. This is exactly why God sent his son to earth (John 3:16). Christ was born to die in order to pay the penalty of our sins. Christ came to seek and save sinners (Luke 19:10). It is then through Christ’s righteousness that we can be made right before God. True repentance is to turn from your sin to God. If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Repent, confess, and believe.

No earthly man can evaluate or judge whether or not a person is truly saved, but God sees the heart. Love is obedience. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). He who says, “I know Him,” but disobeys His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 3:10).

It’s all or nothing. God is God whether you believe the Bible or not. He has clearly revealed Himself in the Bible. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Believe. Be Saved. Love. Obey.

The only thing sustaining us during this horribly heart-wrenching time of our lives is the fact that we have the Holy Spirit living within us giving us the strength we need for each day, each hour, each moment. God is all-sufficient and we pray that that might be evident to those we encounter on the journey He had set out before us.

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If you are a new believer, a mature believer, or even one who thinks this post is a waste of your time, I would encourage you to do at least the following things:

*Read the Bible to learn more about God and how to be obedient in service to Him as gratitude for creating and saving you (or at least soften your heart and be receptive to the Truth God has revealed to us through His Word).

*Find a Bible-believing church and begin to worship and grow together with other people who treasure Christ above all things. (If you are in the Des Moines area, I highly recommend Willow Creek Baptist Church. In the Indianapolis area? Check out Calvary Baptist Church in Plainfield).